Ten Years
by Idontknowwhatthatmeans32
Summary: Funny fluffy piece featuring established couple Booth/Brennan and teenage Parker. Follows my story Family but stands alone.


Out of season, I know, but I'm cleaning out my hard drive. Pure silliness. And Zach never did the whole serial-killer thing. Cause that just makes me sad.

Christmas, 2016

"What are you doing here?" Seeley Booth asked, swiping his card and walking onto the platform.

"What does it look like I'm doing?" she asked, nose scarce inches above a skeleton.

"Look, I have no intention of getting stuck in here, so I'm going to go get your coat and then we're leaving, okay?"

"Sure." She agreed. "So long as it takes you twenty minutes to get my coat."

"Babe, it is Christmas Eve."

"No, it's the day before Christmas Eve, with has a completely different connotation. Point of fact: lots of people work on December 23rd." she shouldered past him to peer at something under a microscope.

"As of," he looked at his wrist and sighed when he realized he still hadn't replaced his broken watch. "As of six minutes plus however long it took me to get in here from my car, it is Christmas Eve. Now come on, hurry up. I thought we could pick up the kids on the way home."

"The party's not over yet?" she dropped what she was doing and ran to her office for her coat.

"Bones, they're teenagers."

"It was my understanding that parental supervision for this party stopped at eleven. That's what Mrs. Pierce told me." she said, emerging from the office pulling on her coat, still at as half-run.

"Bones, they're teenagers." He shrugged.

"I'm driving."

"What," he stopped and threw her the keys when he saw her expression. She was, after all, now a Booth woman. But that didn't keep him from sulking.

"I'll just need an hour tomorrow to finish with that skeleton." She said as she drove.

"You mean today."

"Fine. Whatever. Then Christmas Day is clear for you and the kids."

"Okay." She glanced at him, a dangerous manoeuvre given the speed she was travelling.

"Are you mad at me? This skeleton, it's straight from the White House or something. Dr. Goodman asked me to get it done as soon as possible. I've been working on it all day. That's why I cancelled lunch. I've been trying to get it done before Christmas. Seriously, are you mad at me?" she asked, concerned.

"No." he sighed.

"We're leaving for your parent's house on Boxing Day, I've still got that booked off."

"Good."

"Look, I'm sorry I snapped at you. You're right about the kids. They'll be fine."

"It's not that." She pulled off.

"What is it?"

"It's stupid."

"Fine." She turned back to the road angrily.

"Tempe." He caved, and she turned the car off again. "This is ten years."

"I know."

"It's just, usually that's kind of a big deal."

"I know." She sighed. "I was going to wait until tomorrow morning, but I suppose now is fine, too. I already asked your mother if it would be okay for Parker and Jenna and Toby to stay with her."

"What?"

"I thought we could just spend a day or two with your family and then duck out early. I booked more time off than I told you. And I called Cullen." Cullen was now the Director, and technically she should have called the new Deputy Director, but she and Cullen had an understanding by now, so it was he she called for a favour.

"Really? Where are we going?"

"I thought I'd let you decide tomorrow. Somewhere warm, maybe? We can lie on the beach and pretend there's no such thing as bones." She teased him.

"Is that in any way fun?" he asked, grinning, before leaning in to kiss her. It occurred to her that they were too old to be making out like teenagers in a car.

"Teenagers!" she shouted, pulling away and starting the car.

"What?"

They pulled onto the street just a minute later. And he covered his face, knowing he would never live this down.

"I told you!" she whispered furiously, getting out of the car. Music was blaring, even from outside the house. There were several people throwing up on the bushes. A woman with curlers in her hair, wearing a bathrobe, emerged from her house.

"Are these your children! Hooligans!"

"I'm so sorry, I'll take care of this right now."

"I'm calling the police! They're throwing up in my petunias!"

"I'm FBI, ma'am. We'll take care of this." Seeley flashed his badge and his charm smile. The woman 'hmphed' and went back inside.

"You want me to get the hose?" she asked.

"Sounds good. I'll chase them out." He agreed. They had been adopting teenagers for six or seven years now, and they had been faced with parties a time or two. "You know what? Not our house. Don't bother." He smiled. "They let this happen, they deserve it." They grinned evilly at each other. This was almost as good as chasing the bad guy. He rummaged through some stuff in the garage and found water guns.

"Sweet!" he laughed, almost giddy as he filled them. Then he went back to the front lawn, leaving the poor suckers in the bushes alone. With a yell, he shouldered the door open and opened fire. The kids screamed and most ran for the back as he locked the front door and removed the key.

He had been through most of the house when he heard the sirens. Apparently the old lady had made good on her threat. He got downstairs as the officers broke down the door.

"You send guys around back?" he asked.

"Yeah." He answered, taken aback by the appearance of a grown man loaded down with water guns in a trashed, now empty house.

"Come on." He said, leading the way back.

"Are you Mr. Pierce?" he asked uncertainly.

"I'm sorry. Special Agent Seeley Booth, FBI." He showed his badge. "We came by to pick up our kids."

"We?" They exited the house and found a melee. The backyard was completely walled in with a high fence. The dog, a yellow lab, barked excitedly. The kids milled around. Temperance Brennan, forensic anthropologist and ten-time bestseller, was yelling at two policemen, who were soaking wet. There was a third on the ground.

"That's my wife." he told the officer with the familiar thrill of pride that always accompanied such a statement.

"Hey, hon." He kissed her on the cheek. "What's going on?" she looked at him and laughed. The police looked at her like she was crazy.

"I'm Special Agent Seeley Booth, FBI. This is my wife, Temperance Brennan. That Temperance Brennan." He nodded. "We came to pick up our kids and, uh, decided to make the party memorable." He grinned.

"Well. Looks like we'll be here awhile. Can you see your kids?"

"Just a second." He assured the officer, patting his wife on the back. She turned the hose back on, catching a boy whose waterlogged jeans had given up the battle to stay on his hips full in the face.

"Toby, Jenna, and Parker." She turned it off. He pointed. She turned it back on and cleared a path.

"Jenna! Parker! Toby!" She swung the hose from side to side, ignoring the screams. Then the hose sputtered and the water stopped coming out. She glared back at the adults and her husband threw up his hands, indicating his innocence. She dropped the useless hose and glared around at the shivering kids until her three appeared. She removed her jacket and gave it to Jenna, who was showing much more skin than either boy, then marched behind the three chastened children back to the gate.

"Give these to Mr. Pierce if you see him, please?" her husband asked the officer, gesturing to the water pistols.

"Sure."

"Aren't you going to arrest us for underage drinking?" Jenna asked them.

"Yeah, just because Dad's FBI doesn't mean we should get off scot-free." Parker added.

"Please!" Toby begged as his foster-mother compelled him down the driveway.

"Nothing we could do could top what those two have got in store." The police officers agreed, laughing. The parents in question were actually in very good moods as they got into the car. He went to climb in the passenger seat but she gestured for him to drive with a smile.

"Is there anything you would like to say?" she asked the sullen and dripping backseat.

"We are never going to live that down." Jenna remarked. "I hate you." Six months ago, the sixteen year old probably would have meant it, but tonight her flippant tone and magnetic grin belied her words.

"In our own defence, I'd like for you to note that we are not drunk." Toby added. They had first fostered him when he was twelve, four years ago. His brother was now two years into a bachelor of science, with his eye on engineering. Parker giggled and hiccupped.

"Two of us are not drunk." Jenna corrected. "And, you know, he didn't even have that much to drink. Your genes suck."

"Don't look at me." Tempe said, throwing her hands up with a laugh.

"You know what? That is not the point." Seeley said seriously.

"Damn." Toby said softly.

"We almost got them." Jenna said good-naturedly.

"Yeah, yeah."

"How long?" she asked resignedly.

"I don't know. Two weeks?" Tempe suggested.

"Two weeks!" Jenna said disbelievingly.

"Two weeks?" her foster father asked in the same tone, but a different meaning. "They'll be in Pennsylvania. They won't know anyone. It's hardly a punishment!"

"I thought they could help your parents out around the house, you know." She shrugged with a grin.

"Oh, you are mean. You are harsh! Remind me never get on your bad side, okay?"

"Oh, I will."

"Okay, I love Grandma Lisa, but you seriously cannot do that. Please. Come on."

"Yeah, really. Grandpa Tom will kill me!"

"A few chores never hurt anyone." Seeley dismissed it.

"Getting up at four-thirty did!"

"I knew there was a reason I married you." Seeley grinned at his wife, who rolled her eyes but smiled nonetheless.

They went to bed and woke up late and spent the day decorating the Christmas tree, baking, and wrapping last-minute presents. They opened presents Christmas morning with coffee and supermarket doughnuts. Then they all pitched in to get Christmas dinner ready. As the turkey came out of the oven, a knock on the door told them Russ and his family was here. The teenagers compared gifts while their parents greeted the adults and infant. Soon, Angela and Jack Hodgins arrived, followed by Dr. Zach Addy, who was now the victim of their friend's matchmaking instincts, ergo the pretty twenty-something girl who rounded out their group. He nodded and smiled as she chattered to him and his eyes slowly glazed over until Hodgins, feeling guilty and somewhat responsible, rescued him. After that, the team carried the conversation. Since most of it was above her head, she turned to Jenna and Russ' two girls. She bolted after dinner, explaining that she had family things to do. The rest of the dinner party folded their arms and looked at Angela, waiting for an explanation.

"What?" she asked.

"She was like, ten years younger than me!" Zach said plaintively.

"She was a cute, young girl who saw something about your work on TV and was totally into you!"

"Dude, I kind of see her point." Hodgins grinned, earning him a whack to the back of the head with a rather large purse. "I was agreeing with you!"

"Can I just say, I thought she was an idiot, and my IQ's just normal." Jenna said.

"And why did she have nowhere better to be on Christmas?" Toby asked. "Red flag!"

"Okay, I'll stop setting Zach up," Angela said with crossed fingers. "Let's just go watch _Miracle on 34__th__ Street_, okay?" So they did.


End file.
